The Gospel Of Mark

He was only a boy when it all began. His mother Mary became a Christian under Peter's preaching. Her hospitality was excellent before she knew Jesus but it became legendary after meeting Him. The church was often in her home. Young Mark grew up with church leaders such as Peter, Paul, and Barnabas eating at his dinner table.

As Mark matured into a man, he was an active part of the church. Leaders noticed his love for the gospel and took him under their wings. They had high hopes for the young man’s future. Soon an opportunity to prove himself came his way. It appealed to his love for Jesus and his sense of adventure. Paul and Barnabas invited him to join them on a mission trip! It sounded like fun. What started out as exciting quickly became treacherous. At Cyprus, Paul found himself in a powerful spiritual encounter with a magician that ended with the Holy Spirit striking the man blind! For young Mark, the opposition from the crowds was too great. The risks were too high. He wanted out. He abandoned Paul and Barnabas and headed home.

A young life that once had such promise was tarnished. Paul was disappointed in him. To Mark, it felt like every eye in the church was staring at him. He felt like a quitter, a failure. How could God use his life? He started off strong but crashed and burned. All of us can relate. All of us have times of weakness and sin. What can God do with a life that is filled with shame? Mark’s story is the answer.

Barnabas and the apostle Peter didn’t give up on Mark but believed in Him. They restored Mark and asked him to join them on future mission trips. Mark’s relationship with Paul was also restored. After traveling for years with the apostle Peter, Mark knew Peter’s stories of his time with Jesus by heart. God inspired Mark to write down those eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life for all of us to read. Mark assembled them into a book we know as the Gospel of Mark. The Mark that failed in the early church was used by God to write the first gospel of the early church! Never underestimate what God can do after we repent and turn to Him! Join me and let Mark introduce us to Jesus!